  How it works

 Today we will learn o o o o o o o o o Definition of packaging Funds we typically package Estimated Financial Assistance & its affect Steps to package awards Packaging categories & sequence Packaging models Overawards Hands-on example Notifying students of their awards

 Per the FSA Handbook* o Packaging is the process of awarding aid without exceeding the student’s financial need o More simply: it’s how you decide what students are awarded (in what combination)

 Federal programs o Pell, SEOG, Perkins, Federal Workstudy, Direct Loans, PLUS Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, TEACH, Iraqi & Afghanistan Service Grant  State programs o TPEG, TEXAS Grant, TEG, BOT, CAL, Texas Workstudy, Set-Aside Funds  Institutional programs

 Estimated Financial Assistance (EFA) is taken into consideration when packaging  Examples include (but not limited to) o o o o o o o Pell (first source of aid) Other federal, state, institutional grants Subsidized & Perkins loans Work study Unsubsidized loans * PLUS loans * Private loans * * Indicates funds that can replace all or part of the EFC as long as the COA is not exceeded.

 ROTC living allowances  Scholarships (including athletic & ROTC)   Employer reimbursement of tuition & fees Tuition and fee waivers  Fellowships and assistantships  Americorps Funds  Exceptions to EFA: o o o Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grant Prepaid tuition plan Federal veteran benefits

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     Determine the student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) budget & Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Award Federal Pell Grant Calculate the student’s financial need Package campus-based, state, federal, and institutional funds Package or refer students to other supplemental sources of assistance



Determine the COA & EFC

A typical

COA

consists of* o Tuition & Fees o Books & Supplies o Room & Board o Transportation o Personal Expenses EFC comes from…?

* COA amounts are determined by the institution & could include PJ adjustments

 Award PELL Grant  Pell Grant awarded based on EFC o Pro-rated based on enrollment status and EFC range

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 Calculating Student’s Remaining Need

Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution - EFA _____________________________ Initial Need PELL award (if any) __________________________________ Remaining Need to package other funds

 Calculating students’ non-need eligibility

Cost of Attendance - - PELL EFA - Need-based aid awarded ________________________________ Room for non-need based aid

 Package Campus-based, Federal, State, Institutional o Package other aid programs listed above according to your school’s packaging philosophy/policy o Keep in mind that each school is different!

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     Responsibility for paying for college rests with the student and their family Federal Pell Grant is the foundation of undergraduate student aid packages Families can borrow from some aid programs to replace all or a portion of their EFC Scholarships cannot be substituted for the EFC Must take expected financial assistance (EFA) into account

      Provide as many students as possible with resources to meet their financial need Distribute aid in an equitable manner Provide assistance that will be the most beneficial to the student Manage financial aid funds Recruit and retain students Meet areas of national need

Sometimes these are competing goals!

 Schools can organize their packaging categories based o o o o o o Enrollment status Classification Academic program or major field of study Application date Need Based vs. Non-Need Based Residency Criteria  Packaging philosophy must be detailed in the school’s policy and procedures

 What gets awarded 1st? 2nd?  Schools designate the order in which it awards funds from various programs o Again, this can vary from school to school o It can depend on the categories designated o This should be noted in the policy and procedure manual for your institution

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 First-Come, First-Served  Gift Aid First  Self-Help Concept  Special Targeted Groups  Equity Concept o o Absolute Dollar Equity Fixed Percentage Equity  Individualized Packaging

 Financial aid awards based on the order in which completed applications are received by the aid office until funds are exhausted  Benefits: o Rewards students who get their stuff done early  Drawbacks: o May not have funds available for students that need it most

   Gift aid is awarded first and self help aid is awarded to meet any remaining need Benefits: o Decreases likelihood of loan debt Drawbacks: o Limited gift aid funding

 Self-help assistance is awarded after the family contribution and before any consideration for gift aid  Benefits: o Places same burden on all students o Allows gift aid to those who do not have same access to self-help  Drawbacks: o Increases likelihood of higher loan debt

 Separate packaging criteria for specific groups of students in addition to specific criteria required by law or regulation  Benefits: o Easier to tie packaging philosophy to institutional goals  Drawbacks: o Tougher to defend – watch the “bait and switch”

    Absolute Equity o All students are funded up to an institutional maximum fixed dollar amount with gift aid before their remaining need is met with self help.

Fixed Percentage Equity o An institutional maximum percentage level of NEED or COST for all gift aid is used rather than a fixed dollar amount.

Benefits: o Provides for an equitable distribution Drawbacks: o Difficulty in managing overawards and maintaining that equitable distribution

 Packaging based on the FAA’s evaluation of a student’s individual costs, resources and needs  Benefits: o Each financial aid packaged is customized o Personal touch with each student  Drawback: o o Time consuming High subjectivity

 This depends on your institution  Most institutions do not use one specific model… o A variation of one or more of these models is used by institutions to fit in with that school’s objectives

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 Overawards occur when: o Aid exceeds a student’s need or COA  How does this happen?

o o o EFC changes (due to verification or updates) COA changes (possibly due to enrollment) Additional financial assistance comes in (late scholarship, exemption payment) • This is the student’s responsibility to report to us  When overawards happen, we make adjustments

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 Sally is attending Cowboy College (CC). She is a dependent senior. CC employs a self-help packaging model and awards work study prior to loans. COA EFC COWBOY COLLEGE $20,000 Scholarship Pell Grant $500 $2,500 $4,800 AWARD MAXIMUMS Perkins $1,500 Work Study Institutional Grant $3,000 Direct Loan $3,000 $5,500

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Cost of Attendance EFC Need Scholarship (EFA) Pell Remaining Need Work study Perkins Stafford Loan Remaining need before grants Institutional Grant Unmet Need Anything Else????

20,000 ( 500 )

19,500

( 2,500 ) ( 4,800 )

12,200

( 3,000 ) ( 1,500 ) ( 5,500 )

2,200

( 2,200 )

0 Remaining unsub eligibility?

 What if after you have packaged, you are informed that the student is receiving another $500 scholarship?

o Does this fit in the COA as is?

o Does it fit within the need? • If not what would you reduce?

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 Institutions are required to inform students: o o o Amount of award(s) Terms and conditions of award Manner and timing of payments  Institutions have the option of confirmation or notification o o Confirmation – Student formally accepts awards Notification – Student not required to accept award, but must notify school if they do not want aid

 What if there aren’t enough funds?

o Caveat may be included on award notification stating that the award is subject to the availability of funds and may be revised if funds not available or eligibility changes

 Today we learned o o o o o o o o o Definition of packaging Funds we typically package Estimated Financial Assistance & its affect Steps to package awards Packaging categories and sequence Packaging models Overawards Hands-on example Notifying students of their awards

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